Meanwhile, about Greenville, NC

Jerry Forsyth

Jerry Forsyth

Well-known member
Since the first thread about Greenville seems to have morphed into something else... I lived in Greenville in 1966 and spent most of my time in 'Happy's' poolroom. I don't remember the street name, but it is still there (as of three years ago) on a downtown street real near the college.

Happy's is an old-style 'shotgun' poolroom. It has been open since at least the forties and has seen a lot of action in its time. When I was there it had a hamburger grill up front that served up marvelous greasy cheeseburgers but this was lost due to a pesky health inspection.

The action table was the one in the back. Lots of road hogs came through. Some of my favorite memories are of swilling Schlitz (then the number two beer in the country, behind Pabst Blue RIbbon, and with a marvelous crisp flavor that was lost when it was acquired by another brewer) and sitting on the side benches watching the Payball and Liability games.

Anyway, make sure you go to Happy's. Let me know if they still pay by the rack. Back then 9-Ball was a dime, 8-ball was 15 cents and I think straights was a quarter a rack.

-Jerry
 
Jerry, Happy's is still there and about the only thing that has changed is how they charge for pool, hourly now. As far as everything else its probably still the same including the air/smell.
 
There are some nice places to play in Greenville with what seems like a new room opening every six months. A few I go to are Players Choice, Pastimes, Emerald City, and On Cue. They also have a smokeless room as well.
 
Jerry, did you ever see Luther Lassiter in Happy's? I heard he played there a good amount of time. Or anywhere for that matter and how would he stack up against todays top nineball players?
 
NorthCarolinian said:
Jerry, did you ever see Luther Lassiter in Happy's? I heard he played there a good amount of time. Or anywhere for that matter and how would he stack up against todays top nineball players?
Click to expand...

Not meaning to speak for Jerry here, North Carolinian, but I saw Lassiter play many times. Still, the truth is that it's very difficult to compare the "Texas Express" nine ballers of today to the "One-shot Shootout" nine ballers. There were so many pushouts in the old days that superhuman pocketers like Lassiter got even greater value out of their ability to make shots that few others felt comfortable shooting. Lassiter probably ran the table comparably to today's best. Whether he had the defensive, kicking and jumping skills required to play top level nine ball today is not easily gauged, for the simple reason that Lassiter didn't have as much reason to develop those skills.

We're probably stuck with this: Lassiter was the best nine-baller of his era, and Archer, Efren, Buddy, and Earl are the best of this era.

Like you, though, I look forward to hearing what Jerry has to say.
 
Well, I had written a long reply but got clumsy on the keyboard and it went away to computer heaven. So, the short version. Lassiter was a great 9-Baller. He proved it with his record at the Jansco events in Johnston City and at the Stardust.

But North Carolinian hits the nail on the head. 9-Ball today probably cannot be compared to 9-Ball of forty years ago. The rules and the strategy are different, and the equipment is night and day. Back then we played on toothy, slow cloth and used 20 or 21 oz. cues to move the balls around. So I am not certain a fair comparison is possible.

But I believe each generation improves on what it learns from the earlier players. In all sport. Marathon times keep dropping. More and more home runs are hit. Swimmers break old records every year. And I think Lassiter would find a lot of trouble in Reyes, Archer, Earl, or any number of today's players.

I probably go to as many pro events as anyone. In the last year I have been to twenty or so around the world from Taiwan to London to the UAE and all over the States. And I see more racks strung together each year. THe bar keeps rising. What I am particularly excited about these days is the level of cue ball control. There are many, many pros now who can park that cue ball behind a blocking ball for a safety, and they can do it after navigating good hits and multiple rails. I never saw Lassiter or Mosconi or anyone of that era control the white ball the way the guys do today. (Now we can go back to the argument as to how much of that is due to the equipment changes.)

But, all this is just opinion. And you know what opinions are compared to.

-Jerry
 
Jerry Forsyth said:
I never saw Lassiter or Mosconi or anyone of that era control the white ball the way the guys do today.
But, all this is just opinion. And you know what opinions are compared to.

-Jerry
Click to expand...
JF,
Actually I think most of the fanatics hang out here just to get the opinions of posters such as yourself and the pro's (our opinions, while entertaining, are worth just what we pay for them). Thanks for the stories.

I will tell you an anecdote related by my father's degenerate pool buddies - who claim to have hung out in Kansas City with Willie Mosconi in his prime (?Allen's pool hall). They report that Willie once ran 125 and out in a match, and had no shot where the cue ball was further than 8 inches from the object ball, and each shot went exactly as planned. I feel pretty strongly that Willie would have been able to park the white ball anywhere he wanted if he was playing 9-Ball (not that he would lower himself to do so).

Mosconi also reports winning one of his championship matches with a 5-rail kick-in (I've seen the shot diagrammed somewhere). That's pretty strong. I know that he finished 2nd to Willie Hoppe in a championship tournament (I believe Irving Crane and Joe Procita were also in the top 5), and even considered switching to 3-cushion (he said the presence and dominance of Hoppe was the only drawback). I'll bet those guys could have developed a fairly strong kicking game if they were playing 9-ball today (I would definitely not bet the kid's college money against them).
 
NorthCarolinian said:
Jerry, Happy's is still there and about the only thing that has changed is how they charge for pool, hourly now. As far as everything else its probably still the same including the air/smell.
Click to expand...

Whats wrong with air there?
 
Williebetmore said:
I'll bet those guys could have developed a fairly strong kicking game if they were playing 9-ball today (I would definitely not bet the kid's college money against them).
Click to expand...

Great post, Willie, and you're right on the mark. Though Buddy Hall is often called the greatest position player in nine ball history, nobody compared to Mosconi in straight pool. As you suggest, he'd have probably mastered nine ball position play if he had cared to (or deigned to, as I'm sure you'd put it). I also strongly agree that the greats of yesteryear could have been great kickers.
 
BAZARUS, its just that Happy's is about a hundred years old almost and it just smells like it. It is cool to still have an old poolroom to go to and I must say there lots of nice poolrooms in Greenville, with On Cue just ahead of Pastimes, Players Choice, and Emerald City. There are several more rooms in town, But I have yet to make it to some of them especially the smokeless poolroom.
 
NorthCarolinian said:
BAZARUS, its just that Happy's is about a hundred years old almost and it just smells like it. It is cool to still have an old poolroom to go to and I must say there lots of nice poolrooms in Greenville, with On Cue just ahead of Pastimes, Players Choice, and Emerald City. There are several more rooms in town, But I have yet to make it to some of them especially the smokeless poolroom.
Click to expand...

LOL, I was acctually asking about the air in generally, not in a particular poolroom. Thats cool anyway :cool:
 
Seems like a funny question, but I guess its like anywhere else except it might be a little more humid in the summer. How is the air where you live BAZ ;)
 
NorthCarolinian said:
Seems like a funny question, but I guess its like anywhere else except it might be a little more humid in the summer. How is the air where you live BAZ ;)
Click to expand...


Watch how you phrase those responses...he's a hell of a nice guy but he get's a little sensitive at times. (Still want to buy Baz some beer...otherwise known as "brewski's")
 
Last edited:
NorthCarolinian said:
Seems like a funny question, but I guess its like anywhere else except it might be a little more humid in the summer. How is the air where you live BAZ ;)
Click to expand...

The air where I live its...well its so hot, that its difficult to breath. Not as bad as in Memphis but still. And also I'm sick all the time - they say sinus problem is very common in this area.
 
A little more humid in the summer? Try a lot more, all year 'round. And i'm at the foothills (piedmont) lol.

I have sinus problems all the time... i waiting for a Dr. to tell me exactly why i need my sinus', cause if it's not too important, i'll just take 'em out :D .

Thanks,

Jon
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top